This paper presents research on the use of Possibility Books to develop Creative Critical Inquiry, a method of inquiry that prioritizes embodied knowledge rather than relying solely on logic. “Possibility Books” refers to an innovative pedagogy that starts with a notebook and utilizes two components: mark-making and dialog. “Mark-marking” in this context consists of an initial, free-flowing making of different lines, shapes, patterns, and smears of color with watercolor crayons. The act of mark-making in response to a prompt encourages the development of Creativity Mindsets: stay curious, remain open, risk failure, navigate ambiguity, make unexpected connections, and explore possibilities. Incubating reflections through mark-making allows responses to emerge as embodied insights, which can then contribute to the more traditional logic-based approach to inquiry.

The second component, collaborative dialog with another student, facilitates the co-creation of knowledge through meaningful connections with course content, by promoting curiosity, thereby building a sense of a community of learners. Possibility Books provided participants with a safe space to practice Creativity Mindsets and develop Creative Critical Inquiry by engaging familiar and unfamiliar spaces, deepening the interplay between intuition (embodied) and insight (logic).

Research on implementing the pedagogy of Possibility Books took place at an undergraduate liberal arts institution in the United States. The study employed a sequential, phenomenological mixed-methods approach. Participants were faculty and undergraduate students who completed a post-experience questionnaire.

Principal component analysis revealed two distinct, positively correlated factors that align with theories supporting Creative Critical Inquiry: Creativity Mindsets and “cognitive monitoring.” The Creativity Mindsets factor captures uncertainty tolerance, creative self-concept, curiosity, the risk of idea sharing, and openness. The cognitive monitoring factor includes safe spaces for thinking, visual learning enhancement, life connections, problem-solving integration, stress reduction, and community building. When using Possibility Books, participants consistently described insights that “surprised” them, suggesting that mark-making accessed embodied understandings which are often less explored through traditional, logic-first approaches. Qualitative coding revealed consistent patterns that support the pedagogical sequencing within Possibility Books. This study confirms that the use of this new pedagogy creates a practice across disciplines that honors embodied understandings and the co-creation of knowledge, resulting in students’ engagement with Creative Critical Inquiry.

Keywords: Creativity Mindsets, innovative pedagogy, critical thinking, cognitive monitoring, embodied knowledge, co-creation of knowledge